A collective objects management system for objects such as documents contained in file folders in drawers of file cabinets. Each file folder has an electrical circuit with a visible indicator mounted on the file folder. Each folder circuit has an address decoder with a unique system address which generates a VALID signal whenever an incoming address from a source is a match. A local microcomputer and optional encoder receive incoming object identification signals from the source and supplies the desired object address to all the file folders in the cabinet. To aid the user, each file drawer has a visible indicator mounted on the front panel, the panel indicator being illuminated when the sought folder is contained in that drawer. The invention can be applied to a wide variety of collective objects management systems, such as supermarkets, automobile parts distributors, and various manufacturing operations.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A device for enabling the management of objects distributed in an object location space, said device comprising: a receptacle for an object, said receptacle having at least four electrically conductive members, at least one of said electrically conductive members being provided to receive address signals supplied by a source, said receptacle comprising a file folder having a pair of support braces, one of said support braces containing said at least four electrically conductive members; said one of said support braces comprising an elongate body structure formed from an electrically non-conductive material with a pair of opposite ends, each end having a downwardly opening cut-out channel provided with a pair of spring contacts secured to the elongate body structure, each spring contact being electrically coupled to a different one of said at least four electrically conductive members, each said spring contact having a free end which is received in a corresponding slot formed in said elongate body structure adjacent the ends thereof so that each said spring contact provides both electrical and mechanical connection to associated non-conductive support rails each having two conductive portions on opposite sides thereof when said file folder is installed on said support rails; an address decoder circuit associated to said object, said address decoder circuit having a unique system address, said address decoder circuit being carried by said one of said support braces, said address decoder circuit further having at least four electrically conductive terminals in electrical contact with said at least four electrically conductive members; and an indicator coupled to said address decoder circuit for activation whenever said address decoder circuit detects an address signal present on said at least one of said plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of said unique system address.
A device for managing objects in a location space (like a file cabinet) uses a special file folder. The folder has a support brace with four electrical conductors. These conductors receive address signals from a source. The support brace is made of non-conductive material and has spring contacts that connect to conductive rails in the cabinet. An address decoder circuit on the folder has a unique ID and connects to the four conductors. An indicator (like a light) on the folder activates when the decoder detects its unique ID in the incoming address signals. The spring contacts provide both electrical and mechanical connection to the conductive support rails.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said indicator is a visible indicator.
The object management device described previously, where the indicator that activates when the correct address is received is a visible indicator, allowing a user to easily identify the correct folder. Specifically, the device has a file folder with electrical contacts for receiving address signals, an address decoder that matches the unique folder ID, and an indicator activated upon a match.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said visible indicator is an LED.
The object management device described previously, where the visible indicator is a light-emitting diode (LED). This device involves a file folder with electrical contacts, an address decoder circuit that recognizes the folder's unique system address, and an LED that lights up when the decoder detects its address, providing a clear visual indication. The LED is used as the visible indicator from the previous claim.
4. The device of claim 1 further including a source comprising an encoder for generating said address signals, said encoder having at least one input terminal for receiving object identification signals from a supply device, at least one output terminal coupled to said address decoder circuit, and circuitry for generating a signal representative of the unique system address of the object specified by said object identification signals.
The object management device described previously further includes a source that generates the address signals. This source has an encoder which receives object identification signals from a supply device, at least one output terminal coupled to the address decoder circuit (on the file folder), and circuitry that generates a signal representing the unique system address of the object (file folder) specified by the object identification signals. The system has a file folder with electrical contacts, a unique ID decoder, and a match indicator, plus the described address signal source.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the width of each electrically non-conductive support member is different from the other and the width of said cut-out channel at one of said opposite ends of said elongate body structure is different from the width of said cut-out channel at the other one of said opposite ends of said elongate body structure so that a given file folder can only be removably secured to said support members in one orientation with each of said spring contacts in mechanical and electrical contact with the appropriate one of said electrically conductive portions.
The object management device described previously is designed with unique support rail widths and corresponding cut-out channels on the file folder to ensure proper orientation. The width of each non-conductive support rail is different, and the cut-out channel on each end of the folder's support brace is also different. This means the file folder can only be inserted in one way, ensuring each spring contact makes correct electrical and mechanical contact with the corresponding conductive sections of the support rails. This ensures proper connection of the electrical conductors on the folder.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein each said spring contact has a free end which is received in a corresponding slot formed in said elongate body structure adjacent the ends thereof.
The object management device described previously, has each spring contact ending in a free end inserted into a slot in the folder's support brace. This slot is positioned near the ends of the brace. This provides secure and reliable electrical and mechanical connections between the spring contacts and the conductive support rails. This provides reliable electrical conductivity between the electrical conductors on the folder and the support rails.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein said file folder has an upper margin; and wherein said indicator is mounted to said file folder in a position extending above said upper margin.
In the object management device described previously, the file folder has an upper margin, and the indicator light (LED) is mounted on the file folder so that it extends above this upper margin. This ensures the indicator is easily visible, even when the file folder is inside a drawer or container, making it easier to locate the correct file. The folder has electrical conductors for receiving address signals, an address decoder, and an indicator activated upon a match.
8. A system for managing objects distributed in an object location space, said system comprising: a container comprising a file folder drawer having at least two electrically non-conductive support members and at least four mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths located on said support members; a plurality of object receptacles positioned in said container, each of said plurality of object receptacles comprising a file folder having a pair of support braces an upper margin, and (a) at least four electrically conductive members carried by one of said support braces, each of said at least four electrically conductive members of each of said plurality of object receptacles being electrically coupled to a different one of said at least four electrically isolated electrically conductive paths, at least one of said electrically conductive paths being provided to receive address signals supplied by a source; (b) an address decoder circuit associated to said object and carried by said one of said support braces, said address decoder circuit having a unique system address, said address decoder circuit further having at least four electrically conductive terminals in electrical contact with said at least four electrically conductive members; and (c) an indicator carried by said one of said support braces and coupled to said address decoder circuit for activation whenever said address decoder circuit detects an address signal present on said at least one of said at least four electrically conductive members and representative of said unique system address, each said indicator being mounted to the corresponding file folder in a position extending above said upper margin so that a given indicator is visible when the file folder drawer is in an opened position, one of said support braces of each of said plurality of object receptacles comprising an elongate body structure formed from an electrically non-conductive material with a pair of opposite ends, each end having a downwardly opening cut-out channel provided with a pair of spring contacts secured to the elongate body structure, each spring contact being electrically coupled to a different one of said plurality of electrically conductive members, each end of said one of said support braces of said plurality of object receptacles being supported by a different one of said at least two electrically non-conductive support members when received in said file folder drawer, wherein said two electrically non-conductive support members are laterally spaced with each having a width, the width of each electrically non-conductive support member being different from the other; and wherein the width of said cut-out channel at one of said opposite ends of said elongate body structure of each of said file folders is different from the width of said cut-out channel at the other one of said opposite ends of said elongate body structure of each of said file folders so that a given file folder can only be removable secured to said two support members in one orientation with each of said spring contacts in mechanical and electrical contact with the appropriate one of said electrically conductive paths.
A system for managing objects in a location space uses file folders with electrical components. The system includes a file folder drawer with support rails that have four electrically isolated conductive paths. Each file folder has a support brace containing at least four electrical conductors, each connected to one of the conductive paths on the rails. An address decoder circuit on each folder has a unique ID and connects to the four conductors. An indicator light on the folder lights up when the decoder detects its unique ID in the incoming signals. The light extends above the folder's top edge for easy viewing. The support rails and folder brace are designed with different widths so the folder can only be inserted in one orientation.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein said indicator is a visible indicator.
The object management system from the previous description, where the indicator that activates when the correct address is received is a visible indicator, allowing a user to easily identify the correct folder. Specifically, the system contains file folders with electrical contacts for receiving address signals, an address decoder that matches the unique folder ID, and a visible indicator activated upon a match.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein said visible indicator is an LED.
The object management system described previously, where the visible indicator is a light-emitting diode (LED). This system involves file folders with electrical contacts, an address decoder circuit that recognizes the folder's unique system address, and an LED that lights up when the decoder detects its address, providing a clear visual indication. The LED serves as the visible indicator mentioned in the previous claim.
11. The system of claim 8 further including a source comprising an encoder for generating said address signals, said encoder having at least one input terminal for receiving object identification signals from a supply device via at least one of said plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths, at least one output terminal coupled to each said address decoder circuit of said plurality of object receptacles, and circuitry for generating a signal representative of the unique system address of the object specified by said object identification signals.
The object management system described previously further includes a source that generates the address signals. This source contains an encoder that receives object identification signals from a supply device through the electrically isolated conductive paths. It has at least one output terminal coupled to each address decoder circuit (on each file folder), and circuitry that generates a signal representing the unique system address of the file folder specified by the object identification signals. The system includes file folders with unique ID decoders and match indicators, plus the address signal source.
12. The system of claim 8 wherein said file folder drawer has a front panel having an additional indicator mounted thereon; and wherein said system further includes circuitry for operating said additional indicator whenever an address decoder circuit located in said file folder drawer detects an address signal present on said at least one of said plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of the unique system address of that address decoder.
The object management system described previously has a file folder drawer with a front panel. An additional indicator light is mounted on this front panel. Circuitry operates this indicator whenever an address decoder circuit inside that drawer detects an address signal matching its unique ID. This provides a visual cue on the drawer itself, indicating whether the sought-after file folder is located in that drawer, in addition to the indicator on the individual file folder itself.
13. The system of claim 8 wherein each said address decoder circuit includes circuitry for generating a VALID signal whenever that address decoder circuit detects an address signal present on said at least one of said plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of said unique system address; and further including a microcomputer for supplying power signals to said plurality of object receptacles via some of said electrically conductive paths, for supplying said address signals via said at least one of said electrically conductive paths, and for receiving said VALID signal from each said address decoder circuit.
The object management system described previously features address decoder circuits that generate a "VALID" signal when they detect a matching address. A microcomputer supplies power to the file folders through the conductive paths, sends address signals, and receives the "VALID" signal from each decoder. Each folder has an address decoder circuit that generates a VALID signal. The address signals are transmitted over one of the conductive paths and the microcomputer receives the VALID signal.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein said microcomputer includes circuitry for generating information signals identifying the location in the system of any address decoder circuit which generates a VALID signal.
The object management system described previously includes a microcomputer with circuitry that generates information signals identifying the location of any address decoder circuit that generates a "VALID" signal. This allows the system to pinpoint exactly where the matching file folder is located within the entire system, not just within a single drawer. The microcomputer can pinpoint any address decoder circuit generating the VALID signal.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
April 3, 2010
June 25, 2013
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